The Franklin Flyer

Dear Franklin Community,

I am wishing all of our Franklin families a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am incredibly grateful for our wonderful students, supportive families, and dedicated staff who make our school community so special. May your holiday be filled with warmth, joy, and cherished moments with loved ones.

Warmest regards,

Kristin Williams

Mark Your Calendars:

November 4: PTA - Book Club 2025 Volunteer SIgn-Up Open at 9:00 a.m.

November 25 - 29: Thanksgiving Break - No School

December 2: PTA - Pizza Monday & Volunteer Sign-up (closes 12/13); 4/5 Volleyball Sign-Up (closes 1/14)

December 4: Holiday Sing

December 5: PTA Meeting @ 7 p.m.

December 7: PTA - Toys for Tots at 9:00 a.m.

December 23 - January 3: Winter Break - No School

January 12: PTA - Book Club Starts

January 20: No School

February 12: Open House - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

February 14: No School

February 17: No School

February 27: Spring Conferences - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

March 24 - 28: Spring Break - No School

April 18: No School

May 26: No School

Absences

Please call in or email absences by 8:45 AM. You can call our student absence line (847) 318-4390 (ext 1) is available 24 hours a day, or email Mrs. Linda Berleth at lberleth@d64.org.

If the absence is illness related, please also make sure to include Franklin's nurse, Mrs. Queta Karstens, at qkarstens@d64.org.

Franklin Office Hours
School office hours are from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

School Hours

School Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 3:30 pm

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 12:05 - 1:00

Wednesday School Hours: 8:50 am - 2:40 pm

Wednesday Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade Lunch: 11:05 - 12:00

Wednesday 4th and 5th Grade Lunch: 11:35 - 12:30

Half-Day Kindergarten Hours

Kindergarten Hours (M, T, Th, F): 8:50 am - 11:35 am

Kindergarten Wednesday: 8:50 am - 11:05 am

Winter Recess Gear

As more consistent winter weather approaches, please ensure your child brings appropriate gear to school each day, including winter boots, a coat, gloves, a hat, and snow pants. We strive to have outdoor recess whenever possible, and students without winter boots will need to stay on the blacktop during recess. Please remember to label all of your child's winter gear with their first and last name. Thank you for helping keep our students warm and prepared for the season!

Franklin's Holiday Sing program will be held on Wednesday, December 4th. We will have performances by grade. Our performance schedule is as follows:

9:00 a.m. - Kindergarten & 1st Grade

10:00 a.m. - 4th & 5th Grade

1:30 p.m. - 2nd & 3rd Grade

All concert attendees will enter through Door 3 (circle drive) and exit through Door 5 (exterior gym door to the blacktop) for the safety of our school and students. There will be no exceptions. Seats can not be saved between concerts. We appreciate your support to keep the remaining grades learning and school running smoothly during the performances.

Lost & Found will be out during the Holiday Sing. Please take a moment to look for lost items.

Lost & Found

The lost & found will be out during the Holiday Sing performance on December 4th. Please take a look to find missing items. Remaining items will be donated at the end of school on Friday, December 6th.

Please send a change of clothes with your children for all K-5 students. It is helpful to have a change of clothes in the event of spilled water, accidents, or an unexpected incidents. Clothes should be labeled with your child's name and can be kept in your child's locker. We encourage you to make sure your child's name is on each article of clothing.

Lunch at Franklin

District 64 partners with Quest Food Management Services to provide a high-quality hot lunch program for grades full-day kindergarten through 8th grade. Students who need to go home for lunch must bring a note from a parent to the homeroom teacher each time this need arises; the parent must pick up the student at the school office. On return, the student and parent must report to the office and sign back in before returning to class.

Peanut/nut-safe lunch tables at the elementary schools are designated for allergic children and their friends who opt to abstain from those products. Arrangements at the middle schools are handled on an individual basis to accommodate student needs. Peanut butter and other peanut products may be consumed freely by non-allergic students in each lunchroom. To promote disease prevention, parents are requested to enclose a hand sanitizer wipe in their child’s lunch or backpack for use before eating.

Information on free lunch/milk waiver is available at the bottom of the Pay Student Fees page.

Parents are discouraged from routinely delivering lunch to the office from local restaurants; lunches brought to the office should be reserved for emergency situations, such as a forgotten lunch. Please refrain from sending or dropping off any soda or energy drinks for your students. Thank you for your cooperation.

When Entering The Building

When a parent or guardian arrives to Franklin with or for a student, dropping off items or for a meeting, when ringing the doorbell, please state your name and your student(s) names to support our safety procedures.

All visitors to Franklin must have a valid state ID or driver’s license. Identification is entered into the Raptor identification system. This process only takes a short time to complete. Once you have clearance, the office staff will print a visitor pass for you and attach it to a lanyard you must wear throughout the building. The office will hold your ID until you return to the office and return the lanyard. We appreciate your support as we proceed with this district-mandated safety procedure for the safety of our students.

Issues with A School Device?

If you have are having issues with your student's device at home, please complete a ticket.

https://d64.incidentiq.com/guest/NPV6SRUK/d64-family-tech-support-ticket#top

Payments to School - My School Bucks

Park Ridge-Niles CCSD 64 employs My School Bucks as its payment platform for families. Most

purchases for students, including field trips and student orders. Directors can be found here.

For the health and safety of our students and community, no pets are allowed on school property. We realize the beautiful weather increases the amount of families who are walking to and from school. However, we ask that you please leave your dog or cat at home. Properly identified service animals are always permitted.

Please take a moment to review the contacts section of your ParentPortal. Any adult who has approval for after school pick-up or emergency pick-up for illness/injury should be listed. Franklin staff will not release students to adults who are not listed on the ParentPortal.

Student-Parent Handbook

Franklin Elementary School and all District 64 schools follow policies and practices reviewed and implemented by the District 64 Board of Education. Please review the D64 Student-Parent Handbook before the start of the school year.

You can find frequent updates or snapshots from our days at Franklin on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us at

Facebook: facebook.com/FranklinD64

Instagram: franklin.d64

In order to allow opportunity for all students to participate, we need parent volunteers! Currently, we do not have available volunteers for the following grades:

• Kindergarten (only 1 group available)

• 3rd grade

• 5th grade

Please consider signing up otherwise we will not be able to open slots for these grades. Volunteers lead book discussions during the lunch hours on Fridays, beginning January 10th and ending March 14th.

No teaching experience is necessary- just the desire to share your enthusiasm for reading with others! Parents can lead a class on their own or partner with another parent to co-lead a group. Parents who volunteer are guaranteed space for their children in the program. Interested in being a leader? Please visit Franklinpta.com and sign up today! Sign up will be open from November 4th until November 27th.

Have questions or want to know more before you volunteer? Contact: Susie Dordek (sdordek@icloud.com), Jezebel Esparza (jezadanny@gmail.com), Irene Prittis (iprittis@gmail.com)

Toys for Tots: Chair needed!!

Calling all Franklin Falcons, we need your help! We are in need of a chair for this event in order for Franklin to continue to participate this holiday season in the Toys for Tots Collection Drive!

Please reach out to Tania Wygonowski at tania1234@aol.com if interested and for more information.

If you would like to purchase a toy for a child of any age in need, consider shopping at the Amazon Wish List below for fast and easy ordering to the “Franklin Toys for Tots Collection House”, where all purchases will be delivered directly to our collection site. If you purchase a gift elsewhere, please drop it off at Franklin’s collection bin which is located inside of the circle drive’s vestibule door 3. If you have any questions, please contact info@franklinpta.com. All gifts should be new and unwrapped.

• Saturday, November 30th is the last day that Toys for Tots Amazon Wish List orders can be placed so that we can ensure on time delivery to our collection site.

• Friday, December 6th is the last day to bring your item to Franklin's collection bin in front of the office.

• Saturday, December 7th is the Toys for Tots Drive, please save the date, time TBD. All of the toys collected will be brought over to one of the D64 schools. Decorate your car and join us for the parade which will start at a school and end at Park Ridge City Hall. There, a semi-truck will be waiting for us to fill with all the toys collected for the Drive!

Thank you in advance for helping put a smile on a child’s face this holiday season! Any and every item will make a difference!

Here is the link to start ordering: Amazon.com

Special thanks to Katie Giannini (kt2587@gmail.com) and Katie Rice (kedorsch@gmail.com) for stepping forward in co-chairing this wonderful event. Please reach out to them with any questions.

COMING SOON: 4th and 5th Grade Volleyball Sign-Up!

Franklin PTA volleyball is coming back! The goal of this popular league is to introduce the sport of volleyball in a fun way. This is a co-ed program open to students in 4th and 5th grades. Registration will be open from 12/2/24 until 1/14/25.

• Sign up on PTA Membership Toolkit.

• Volleyball season will run for 8 weeks: February 10 - April 10.

• 12 players max per co-ed team; 2 or 3 teams for each grade

• 4th grade practices and games will be on Mondays and Wednesdays between 6:30 and 8:30pm.

• 5th grade practices and games will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 6:30 and 8:30pm.

• Franklin will compete against Carpenter, Field, Roosevelt, and Washington teams.

• $30 fee includes T-shirt, pizza party, and league supplies.

Our PTA is also offering financial scholarships. Please contact Principal Williams ASAP if interested. Openings are limited based on sign-up.

If you have any questions or want to help coach 4th or 5th grade, please contact the Franklin PTA Volleyball Coordinator, Rob Barrett, at vette02@aol.com.

Pizza Mondays Block 2- January 6-May 19

Ordering for block 2 will be opening up on December 2nd-December 13th in Membership Toolkit. We cannot accept orders after 12/13. Thank you for understanding!

If you ordered pizza for block 1, you need to order again for block 2. If you do not purchase pizza by 12/13 there will be no other opportunity to sign up for pizza day for the remainder of the year. You must be a PTA member to order pizza through the PTA sponsored pizza days. You can join the PTA, and order pizza at franklinpta.com

A few important things to note:

• Hot lunches ordered through my meal order are not available on Monday’s.

• If you do not participate in the Monday Pizza lunch program, then you will need to pack a lunch.

• 2 kinds of pizza are offered- cheese and gluten free cheese. 1, 2, or 3 slices can be ordered.

• Drinks only for Monday’s can be ordered through my meal order.

• All sides must be packed from home.

• Pizza day is every Monday of in school attendance.

Pricing for Block 2: (17 Mondays) regular and gluten free

1 slice $63

2 slice $100

3 slice $136

Pizza Monday Parent Volunteers

Volunteer slots for Pizza Mondays will open up on Monday, December 2nd and remain open until all slots are available. When signing up, please remember the following:

• Must sign up for no more than one child lunch time

• If you are unable to make a time slot that you are signed up for, please contact Lorena Hamzic at jazzn1@live.com.

• Lunch time slots:

• Kinder/2nd: 12:05 pm (arrive 11:50 am)

• 1st/3rd: 11:35 am (arrive 11:15 am)

• 4th/5th: 12:05 pm (arrive 11:50 am)

Staff Lunches

The PTA offers teachers and staff members an option to purchase lunch on Mondays from Spuntinos via franklinpta.membershiptoolkit.com. Families are always welcome to show their appreciation for a staff member by purchasing a Monday lunch on their behalf. If this is something your family is interested in doing, please consider the following before purchasing.

1. Please email your staff member prior to ordering to confirm what they would like to order. The options include 10 inch Pizza with 1 Topping Choice, Hamburger/Cheeseburger and Fries, Italian Beef and Fries, Grilled Chicken Salad, Caesar Salad, Grilled or Fried Chicken Sandwich and Fries, BLT Sandwich and Fries, and Penne Pasta with Vodka or Marinara Sauce and Side Salad. Options to customize are available on the form.

2. The form is only available for the upcoming Monday lunch. Ordering for the following Monday will close the Friday before 9:30 am.

3. Please confirm with the staff member what day you purchased their lunch.

Questions about teacher and staff lunches can be directed to rebeccavanpoucke@gmail.com.

Dear Parents,

Can you help us reach the finish line? Donations of EVERY SIZE can make a huge difference in reaching our goal for the D64 Annual Food Basket drive! Please consider donating $5, $10, or more online @ KiwanisPR.org Let's all rally and help brighten the holidays for KIDS in our school district! 100% of donations directly support this drive which runs until 11/30/2024.

Thank you for your support!

Join D64 and Dr. Devorah Heitner for a discussion on shifting the conversation from just “internet safety” to helping our kids understand who they are. Dr. Heitner is a global speaker on topics such as digital well-being, parenting, screen time, digital citizenship, mindful technology use, and raising empathetic children in a connected world.

The event is for parents/guardians and will be on Tuesday, December 3rd at 6 pm inside the Hendee Rooms at the Jefferson Early Childhood Center (8200 W Greendale Ave, Niles).

Click here to RSVP or scan the above QR code.